Romance of the Damned
by Deiru Tamashi
Summary: What if Kikyo wasn't healed by Kagome after Naraku attacked her, but by someone else? And what if that person began to travel alongside her? What will occur? Rated T just in case. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Romance of the Damned**

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch.1: A Disaster Diverted

I walked along the valley by Mt. Hakurei, feeling the remnants of what once was the holy barrier surrounding it, and the auras of the hundreds of demons that had appeared from within it. The multitude of auras was so sickening it nearly made me gag. Nonetheless, I continued on and through the valley, leaving the forsaken mountain behind. A forest greeted me, one filled with dense trees, leaves and all kinds of wildlife and demons. I entered it and continued to walk, determined to reach the next village by nightfall so I may find an inn to sleep tonight.

My name is Deiru Tamashi. Once, I was human, but long ago I was cursed by a demon, and now my soul itself was half that of a demon. My sword, a regular katana in appearance, was set in a dark sheath, banging against the leg of my black kimono. My hair was also black and spiked outwards in every direction to point it was chaotic. My right eye was covered by an eye patch, but my other eye was a deep sapphire blue.

It appeared luck was not on my side that day, and by the time the sun touched the horizon, I had only made it possibly halfway through the forest. Sighing, I settled down next to a nearby hot spring. If any demons tried to attack me while I slept the sound of their feet splashing the water would alert me. Lying back, I gazed at the stars for a while, before I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Xxx

My sleep was, as per usual, dreamless, but when I awoke I did heard and sense something unusual. The sounds of feet were walking my way, but rather than towards me, I sensed they were heading towards the hot spring. Still, I decided not to take chances, and slowly and silently stood and followed. When I arrived just by the edge of the hot spring I peered over the edge of my shoulder and the bushes, to see two young women about to undress.

Instantly I whipped by head back around, a flush forming on my face for the first time in decades. I did not move from the spot for fear of being found out, but I did hear one of the women sigh in relaxation and say "Ohh, this greeaat. What do you think Sango?" The other woman, apparently Sango, replied "It feels nice Kagome. It's been awhile since we've relaxed like this. Huh, so the two women were named Sango and Kagome. Good to know in case I was found. The two women talked a little more, but eventually they stopped and I assumed that they were relaxing.

Thinking that this was my chance, I began to crawl away when I heard a male voice call "Excuse me. You, over there." I froze, and looked to my left to see a monk, dressed in a purple robe and holding a staff, looking down at me. "Would mind telling me what exactly it is that you think you're-" Exactly what the monk thought I was doing, he never said, for at that moment a rock the size my hand flew past me from the direction of the spring and hit the monk in the face.

The monk cried in pain and fell forward, rolling to a stop in front of the hot spring and the two women, who were now looking extremely angry. "For crying out loud Miroku! Can't we just take _one_ bath in private?!" I heard one of the women, possibly Sango, yell. "You are mistaken!" the monk cried. "I saw someone who was trying to look in on you and-" "Yeah right!" the other woman, Kagome, interrupted. "Like I'm going to believe that!" "That does it!" the woman named Sango called. Form the side of the spring she hoisted a giant boomerang and threw it at the monk. The monk- Miroku, was it? - just barley managed to dodge it, and the boomerang cut an entire tree behind him in half.

"What the hell's going on here?" I heard another voice say as another male with silver hair in a red kimono appeared from nowhere. The woman Kagome screamed and yelled "Inuyasha you perverted mutt! SIT!" A necklace of beads around the silver-haired male's neck glowed, and he was yanked down from the air and sent crashing next to the pool. All their respective voiced began arguing, and I decided that that was probably a good time to get away. Which was exactly what I did.

Xxx

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review, even if you hated. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch.2 The First Vision

After narrowly escaping the chaos of the hot spring, I made my way to where I had planned on sleeping. I wasn't far away enough that I couldn't hear that the group was arguing in the spring. The woman Kagome argued with the male in red, Inuyasha she called him, and called the word "sit" several times, each one accompanied by a loud thud of something hitting the ground. The other woman, Sango was yelling at the monk Miroku and I heard a loud _slap _echo through the air at least once.

_A rather… fiery group_, I thought to myself. Deciding to leave as soon as I woke up so they would not find me, I settled down and slowly drifted off to sleep.

For the first in a long time, I had a dream. This was strange in itself because ever since my soul was cursed, forever part demon and part human, I very rarely experienced dreams. And when I did it was usually not a dream, but a vision.

I stood near the mountains, in the middle of a forest on the side of a lake. I was no stranger to visions, and I knew that if I chose I could turn my head, move my body and act as I could in the normal world. However, I could feel that this was no normal vision. Someone was sending me this vision; a sort of message. So I chose not to take control, and instead let whoever was sending me this image to show what they needed to show me.

Without my having given it any command, I walked forward, to the very edge of the lake. I leaned over and peered into it. For a moment I could see nothing, but then my eyes focused and I could see the shape of a person. And they weren't moving. Instantly I bent my knees and was prepared to jump in when I heard a voice say "It's too late." I whipped around to see two little girls standing side by side. One was in a yellow kimono with her black hair tied back with a white band; the other was in a blue kimono with her hair coming down the sides and had blue balls in them.

"What do you mean 'it's too late'?!" I asked. "There's someone down there. We have to help them!" As one they shook their heads. "Our mistress is badly injured; to try to wake her now would mean her death," the one in yellow said. I froze. "What do you mean?" I asked. "An evil demon by the name of Naraku hated her with a passion, and sought to kill her. He nearly succeeded, piercing her body and sending her into a river filled with a toxic miasma."

For a moment I stood there, processing this, until I finished and swallowed. "And now, the miasma is in her body?" I asked. They both nodded. "Now, the miasma is slowly killing her, draining what life force she has left. It is only by her remaining asleep that the poison had not spread at a much swifter pace," the one in blue explained. "Well, how do we save her?" The two looked faintly surprised. To be honest, I was as well. Normally, I never just jumped into saving someone. Yet, for some reason, I felt like I had to save this person. It _had_ to be done.

They two girls looked at each other, before both looking at me. "Are you certain? If you fail, then our mistress's death is certain," the blue one said. "I won't fail," I said with confidence. "Very well," the girl in yellow said. "This is what you must do." The girl had just said that as I my vision started to blur. A thick, impenetrable darkness began to close in, and whatever the girl said was muffled. I realized what was happening. The vision was ending, and I was waking up.

"Wait a minute! What do I have to do?!" I yelled. I couldn't see the girls anymore, but I heard one of them say "You have… find…" Whatever came next was to muffled more me to make out, and then the world went black.

Xxx

I woke up breathless and gasping. For a moment I didn't know what had happened, but then I remembered; the dream, the woman dying in the lake and the two girls who were watching over her. But was that all it was? A dream? Slowly, I shook my head. It had been too real to be a dream; it had to be a vision. And if that was true, then the woman and that fact she was dying was real too. "_But… if that's true… then how do I help her?_" I thought. The two girls who were watching over her said that he needed to find something. But what?

I tried to remember what the last word the girl said was. I replayed it over and over it my head, harder and harder, until I could almost _hear_ the girl say it again. "_You have… find… named Kagome,_" my eyes snapped open, and I realized that in order to save the woman I had to find that person. Now, just one thought swirled around inside my head.

Who's Kagome?

Xxx

Well, here's the next chapter in my story. Hope you all enjoy, read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch.3 Getting the Job

After having that dream and waking up I tried to go back to sleep, but sleep itself eluded me. I laid there for hours, waiting for my mind to calm down, but it never did. I couldn't stop thinking about the woman and how she might, no _was_, in danger. How could I help her? Who was this Kagome I had to find? The named sounded familiar, but from where I couldn't tell. And where would I find her? I laid there for hours; these thoughts running around inside my head until the sun rose, signifying the dawn.

Realizing that any more attempts at sleep were hopeless, I stretched my stiff limbs and sat up, strapping my sword to my side. I still needed to head to the next village; there were reports of a demon attacking it and I was going to offer my services. With that thought in mind I set off at a brisk pace, determined to actually reach it this time. A few hours later I did, seeing the village from the top of the hill, and the whole of the village spread out before me.

Farmers tended crops in the fields, merchants swept the ground in front of their stores and called out advertisements, and children played outside their homes. I made my way through, looking for the headman's house, and noticed that while the villagers were talking with one another they were smiling, but when they weren't they had the looks of sadness and fear. However damage this demon had done, it must have been a great deal.

I reached the headman's estate, which was slightly larger and grander than the other houses, and was met at the gate by a guard. "This is the house of the village headman. What business do you have here?" I smiled. "I have heard reports that this village has been attacked by a demon numerous times. I am here to offer my services in destroying it," I explained. "You? Destroy that demon? Ha!" he scoffed. I frowned in confusion and asked "What do you mean?" "A large number of monks and priests have come, trying to exercise or slay the demon. None have succeeded," the guard explained.

"But I'm not a monk or a priest, and even if I was that warning would not discourage me. Allow me to see the village headman, and I'll prove to him that I possess the power to destroy the demon that's been plaguing your village," I said. The guard's smile faded, and was replaced with an expression much more serious. "Very well then. Come inside; wait in the manor garden," he said, before turning and walking off. Slightly relieved that I had been granted access, I made my way in and waited while they guard went to find the village headman.

I looked around at the garden and was surprised by the variety in the garden. A small pond was filled with pond lilies, while various wildflowers covered the ground. A small red flower caught my eye, on that was on the edge of the garden against the wall. The flower was a Pyrethrum, and the smoke that came from burning it had the ability to kill insects. _That might possibly come in handy_, I thought. Reaching over, I delicately plucked the flower from the stem and placed it in my pocket.

I heard footsteps nearby and stood just as the headman walked into the garden, accompanied by the guard from earlier. The headman wore a brown kimono and had his hair in a topknot. "Well, well if it isn't another hopeful warrior, come to slay the demon that's been attacking our village. Praise the gods," he said, his expression sad. I raised an eyebrow. "Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore. Give me the information about the demon and I'll defeat it for you."

The headman scoffed at this. "Ha! That's what the last person said. This demon is far too powerful for someone such as the likes of you. Go home, to wherever you came from. This demon is too strong for _you_." I frowned, starting to get slightly annoyed. "Exactly what kind of demon is this? What could it have done that you've even given up hope of destroying it?" The headman looked at me. "You really want to know? This isn't just a regular demon. It can leave its physical body and possess a villager and forces it to kill any other villagers it sees, and then when the sun raises it leaves the possessed villagers body, taking its life force with it.

"The entire village now lives in a state of perpetual fear, not knowing if they're the one going to be possessed next or the one who is possessed is going to kill them. The demon declared last time that if we offered a sacrifice once a month, he would leave our village in peace. Otherwise, he would keep killing and burn the village to the ground," the headman explained. I stood there, slightly stunned by this, until the headman continued. "We have no choice. We've agreed to these terms, and we are no longer accepting the help of anyone who wishes to help. There's no one who can."

The headman looked at me. "So please, leave this place and go to where you belong. We are beyond help." He turned to walk away, when I jumped forward and grabbed his arm. He turned to look back at me, surprised, but I already had a plan forming in my mind. "I understand, but please give me a chance. Tell me, when is the village supposed to offer its next sacrifice?" The headman looked at me confusingly, but answered "Tonight, why?"

"Because I believe I have an idea for how we _can_ defeat the demon, once and for all," I said. He looked suspicious, but as I explained his expression changed, and he began to smile broadly. "You really think this might work?" he asked excitedly. I nodded, and we began to lay things out for the big event.

xxx

Sorry for the long update, but my computer fried, and I've been having to use a friends to get this done. Either way, I hope you enjoy.

VOGoshinki, thank you. You're the first person to read this story of mine, and I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Please read and review!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch.4 Victories and Goals

I stood at the entrance to the village, my hands tied behind my back, waiting. If all goes as planned, the demon will show up, and then we can take him down.

In explaining my plan to destroy the demon, I had made it essential that I be offered as the sacrifice. The headman was confused, but agreed nonetheless. My hands were bound to the back of my waist, but my sword lay on the next to me. I had been waiting for the past hour for the demon top show up, and my arms were starting to fall asleep. I was just about to call back to the village headman that the demon may not appear tonight when the wind suddenly picked up and changed direction.

The wind had an ominous feel to it, and I could detect the scent of rotting meat being carried with it. It turned to look at the woods and a large shadow appeared at the edge. It came towards me, growing in size and definition, until the demon that had caused much despair on the village stood before me. It was about twelve feet tall, and appeared to have a human head with bull horns, reptilian arms with razor-sharp claws, black bird's wings coming out of its back, and the rest of its body was covered with coarse fur with bulging muscles underneath.

There was a strange pink glow, and I looked and saw that it came from a piece of a jewel set within the demon's chest. A shard of the Shikon Jewel! So that was how the demon had the power to defeat so many monks and priests. The human head smiled, showing very yellow and very sharp teeth leaned forward and looked at me. "_So, this is the human the village has offered me for a sacrifice this month. What a delightful treat._" I merely smiled at him and said "Not tonight, demon," before breaking my bonds, which had the strength of wet paper, and grabbed my sword. I unsheathed it, moved into a fighting stance.

"Tonight, your reign of terror ends here," I declared. The demon growled and looked beyond me to the village. "_Villagers! So you seek to attempt at tricky me? I warned you, now you will all die!_" He flapped his wings and was about to fly toward the village when I stopped him. "Not so fast. I propose a little wager." The demon raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. "You and I fight each other in a duel. If you win, then you can kill me and the village; I win, and _you _die," I challenged. The demon let out a booming laugh that wasn't at all human.

"_You?! A mere human defeat me? I accept your challenge, and will enjoy sucking the marrow from your bones!_" The demon took a swing at me with his arms, but jumped to the left and dodged it. Before he could move back it jumped forward and gave him a long cut along the side of his arm. The blood was black and had the consistency of oil. The demon gave a shout and tried to jab at me with its horn, but I ran to the side, cutting off the horn on his right for good measure. The demon gave another shout, this one in anger, and stood. He touched the tip of his ruined horn, glared at me.

"_Filthy human. It shall take weeks for that to regrow. You shall pay for that!_" I smiled and waved me sword tauntingly. "Then come and get me, you miserable excuse of a demon!" He roared in rage, flapped his wings and flew towards me. He tried to take another swing at me, but I jumped up into the air and thrust my sword into his wing and pulled. Flesh and hallow bone gave way as I tugged, until my sword came free and the entire wing came off. It fell to the ground with a crash, as did the demon. He rose to turn and looked at me with sheer hatred. "_That does it! Your time is over!_"

Purple electricity crackled around his body, and I knew what he was about to do. The demon was about to leave his body to try and possess me. To this I smiled and called "You're not the only one with demonic powers." My closed my eyes and focused my powers, and when I opened them I could see what could not be seen. I saw the demonic aura that surrounded the demon, the energy that he emanated, and his soul as it left one part of his body after another. There had to be a part of his body that the soul left last. This was where his soul was normally anchored to his body. I looked even closer and… there!

The spot was on his chest, just opposite of where his heart would be. I forward and called "Now your mine!" before throwing my sword. It sailed straight through the air, until pierced his chest just at the spot that I had seen. The demon screeched in pain and despair as I saw that soul was not able to leave the part of the body that I had pierced. I smiled triumphantly, glad that my plan had worked, and started running forward again. The demon, realizing that unless he returned the rest of the soul to his body he couldn't move and take out my sword, began to bring his soul back in.

Before he could finish and was still unable to move, I jumped onto his body, pulled a small dagger from my pocket, and thrust it into his forehead, just between his eyebrows. Calling upon my powers once more, I allowed a current of electricity to travel down my arm, through the dagger and into the demon's body. The demon screamed in agony as he was burned from the inside out, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he began to fall forward. I pulled the dagger, its blade now black with blood, out of his skull, pulled the Shikon Jewel shard out and jumped off, just as he crashed to the ground face first.

Without missing a beat I landed, and all it took was one look at the demon to confirm what I already knew. His demonic aura had completely dissipated, his body wasn't moving, and his soul had left his body completely. The demon that had been terrorizing the village for so long was dead. Smiling triumphantly, I walked through the village back towards the headman's house. On the way when the villagers saw me and realized that their nightmare was at an end, their expressions changed and they began smiling broadly, giving me countless thanks and trying to give me gifts, which I politely refused.

When I reached the headman's house the guard saw me and called "Ha! So you killed the demon! Please, come in. I'll go get the headman." I smiled and thanked him, and went to wait in the garden as I had before. This time I had to wait a lot less time, as less than a minute later the headman came running in, the guard again by his side. "You did it! You killed him! Thank you, thank you so much!" the headman said, shaking my hand over and over. "It is not a problem," I replied. "To show my appreciation, I would like you stay here at the manor tonight," the headman said.

"Oh no, I couldn't-" I managed to say before the headman interrupted saying "Nonsense! You saved our village from a terrible demon and from giving it a monthly sacrifice. It's the least we could do." I was about to try and argue further when I realized it was pointless. Sighing slightly in exasperation, I held up my hands in surrender. "Okay fine, go ahead. Make me a bed for the night; heat up a bath for me. You can even prepare me a feast if you want to!" I said sarcastically.

The headman looked up and this last statement and his expression appeared thoughtful. "Hmmm, it's been a moment since I've had the cooks prepare a feast," he said. Upon hearing this I groaned in partial annoyance and complete defeat. I was not a man who loved luxury, and I had a feeling that was all I was going to get for the rest of the night.

xxx

After a feast in which, to be polite, I had sampled one of each of dozens different types of dishes, I was near forced to take a steaming bath, followed by sleeping on a luxury bed that probably rivaled that of a royal lord. I lay in bed when I pulled the Shikon Jewel shard out of my bath robe. I held it up as I lay back on the bed and relaxed. So this is what a Shikon Jewel shard looks like. From what I had heard, the Jewel was guarded by a priestess fifty years ago, until it mysteriously disappeared.

That was, until it mysteriously reappeared a few months ago and a few days later it was shattered into dozens of little pieces and spread about the country. Apparently a single shard was able to at least double the powers and a demon, and the same concept applied for humans. If I used it, then the jobs that I took slaying demons would be so much easier. I had just thought of seeing if I could somehow use the powers of the Jewel shard when I felt a trace of the slain demon's aura emerge from it.

I frowned. _Damn, the demon's aura has completely tainted the Jewel shard_, I thought. If that was true, then the shard was completely useless unless I found a monk or priest with enough spiritual power to purify it. Setting the matter aside, I placed the shard in my pocket and went to sleep.

That was when I had a second vision.

xxx

I opened my eyes and I was once again by the in the forest, standing next to the lake. For a second I looked around, until there was a small flash of light and the two girls from before appeared side-by-side. The girl in yellow said "We are running out of time. The miasma has spread further, and our mistress's life if fading." "How fare you in the search for the girl Kagome?" the one in blue asked. "Not so well," I relied, feeling a little guilty. "I haven't seen nor heard of any Kagome ever since the last time we met."

Both the girls sighed. "At best, we have possibly three days until the miasma has spread completely, and our mistress's dies." My eyes widened. "Three days?!" I nearly yelled. "This girl Kagome could be anywhere in all of Japan! How am I supposed to find her in just three days?" The girls' expressions did not change at this, but the girl in blue turned to look at the lake and said "Jump in." I blinked. "I beg your pardon?" She looked at me, and then at the lake. "Jump in," she repeated. I looked at her in confusion, but decided to listen and took off my sandals. I approached the edge of the lake, took a deep breath and dived in.

The water was cold, but not enough to take my breath away. It was deeper than I thought, and when I was about halfway down I got a first real look at the woman. She was dressed in the white kimono and red hakama of a priestess. Her long ebon hair nearly reached her eyebrows in the front, while in the back it was tied with a ribbon yet it still reached her waist. Her face looked sad somewhat, and as if in pain. She was, for all intents and purposes, beautiful.

The moment I thought this I mentally slapped myself. This was hardly the time for that. Then I heard the voice of the girl in blue in my head. "_This is our mistress, the priestess Kikyo._" So the woman's name was Kikyo. "_The girl Kagome bears a remarkable resemblance to her. She also has enormous spiritual powers, and travels dressed in clothing not known to this land. She is seen traveling in a group with a monk, a Demon Slayer, a fox demon and a half dog-demon. They search for shards of the Shikon Jewel, and can usually be found at a village that had been attacked by demons."_

I looked at Kikyo for a moment longer to take a mental picture, then turned upwards and swam to the surface. I climbed up onto the shore to find both the young girls standing over me. The girl in yellow said "Now you know how to find her. You have three days, after that it will be too late." The girl in blue held out her hand. A sphere of light appeared in it, and when it faded in her hand was a white lotus flower. "When you have found the girl, throw this flower high into the air and a gateway o this location will open. I stood and accepted the flower, placing it in my pocket along with the Pyrethrum and Shikon Jewel shard. The girls both looked at me and said as one "Good luck."

I awoke and rose up on the bed. Another vision, and now I knew what to do. I hurriedly changed back into my regular clothes, now freshly washed, and silently walked out of my room and exited the manor. Even with the knowledge I knew now, finding that one group the girl Kagome was with in three days was not going to be easy. I had best get started.

xxx

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. For those of you who want to see more of Kikyo, just wait a little while longer. Deiru has to find Kagome first, you know.

VOGoshinki, I hope this chapter was long enough for you.

Please read and review!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch.5 Purifying the Jewel

The sun raised slowly, tender flames of pink and rose-red lighting up the sky and beginning the dawn. I slumped against a tree slowly, slightly tired. Ever since the dream I had last night concerning Kikyo and how much time I had before she died, I had been awake all night searching for the girl Kagome. I must have covered at least five miles, yet I could find no trace of Kagome or the group she was supposed to be traveling with. I looked at the sun rising and realized that the first of the three days I had left was beginning. Time was running out.

I looked around me and it hit me that there was no way I would be able to find the girl in time. Not without help. My heart felt a spike of guilt in it as I thought of what I was about t do; something I've only once and hated myself for. But this was a desperate time, and that called for desperate measures. Sighing, I reached into myself and felt my own demonic powers stirring. I emptied my mind, and suddenly I could _feel_ the minds of every human and animal for at least ten miles around me.

My heart weighed down further when I grasped hold of each of the humans' minds. I fold feeling them trying to escape beneath my grasp, liking holding onto a writhing fish. I could feel their emotions, their surprise, confusion, panic, and fear. I hold on tighter, until one by one the minds gave up and submitted to my control. I sent them all a mental picture of Kikyo and asked "_There is a girl that looks remarkably similar to this one. Have any of you seen her?_" They all gave the same answer. "_No._"

Sighing, I released my grasp on their minds. I hated taking control of someone's minds; it was their most sacred of hiding places and was not to be violated. Still, I learned that the girl Kagome was nowhere nearby. I looked up the tree I was up against and saw a small bird perched on a tree branch. Feeling guilt rise up once again, I told hold of its mind and called "Find the girl. Alert me if you see her." The bird gave a high-pitched chirp, and flew off. I got off the tree and started forward; doing the same to every bird or winged insect I could feel the minds of.

By the time the sun was high in the air, I had a small army of aerial forgers under my control, and none of them had found the girl in all of not ten, not fifty, but _one hundred_ miles of terrain. Reaching outwards, my conscious mind stretched, trying to accommodate the minds of all the animals. I sent them all the command to return to their natural habitats, before letting them go. Things weren't looking good. Five hundred miles and I still hadn't found Kagome. I noticed a small temple on the edge of a nearby cliff.

Maybe if I went there I could find a monk who could purify my shard of the Shikon Jewel. If he did, hem I could use it to increase by powers and find the girl by tomorrow. I started forward, but when I reached the edge of the cliff I was greeted by an enormous waterfall. There were no steps carved in the side, and no apparent way to ascend the cliff to the monks' temple. Then I looked closer and saw a worn rope that stretched from the top of the cliff to the bottom near the stream, running right down the center. Huh. So if a monk or visitor wanted to enter the temple, they had to be strong enough to climb the rope while being battered by the falling water.

Wondering just how strong the monks that accomplished that must be, I went up and grabbed the end of the rope. I could feel the vibrations of the fall through the rope and beneath me feet. Gripping it tightly, I wrapped my legs around the rope and began to make my way upwards. Not a few feet up the rope it was soaking wet and slippery, and the force of the water pounded against my back and the back of my head. I had made it a quarter of the way upwards when suddenly my senses screamed a warning at me, and I swung the rope to the side.

A log shot outwards from the swung I had just been, four feet in diameter and shot six feet outwards. The log slipped back behind the waves, and I swung back to the center. So, not only did I have to climb the rope in the waterfall, but there were traps along the way too, meaning the monks had to be both strong _and _smart. For a moment I had the idea to turn back, but then I remembered Kikyo and how I might need the Shikon Jewel shard to help her. Groaning in annoyance, I retightened my grip and the rope and started upwards.

For the next half hour I painstakingly slowly made my way up the rope, with traps such as more logs, spears, and a few times a rock fell from the top. Eventually, I made it, and I swung my arm over a rocky ledge at the top of the falls. Thoroughly exhausted, I hauled myself over the edge and sat down for a moment to catch my breath. That was, until the end of a monk's staff entered my field of vision, pointing straight at me. "No sudden moves. Slowly, stand up and put your hands behind your head." I complied, standing straight and lacing my fingers together behind my head and looking at the monk.

He was tall and wide as an oak tree. His hair was in a topknot, and his body was covered by a dark blue monk's robe, but I could see he had muscles. His face was hard, with dark eyebrows, blue eyes and a small mustache. He moved his staff slowly, and I had the feeling he could move it quickly if he wanted to. I took a breath and was about to speak when he asked "What is it you are doing here? You don't look like a monk, and only monks are allowed in this temple."

I smiled. "My good man, I saw this temple from a little ways off. I need the services of a monk, and when I saw that to enter this place I had to climb the rope, I did just that?" The monk's eyes widened. "Hold on a moment! You need the services of a monk, so just decided to climb the waterfall?" he asked, extremely surprised. "Well, you see, I am in a rather bit of a rush, and I could see no other temple close. And while the climb was exhausting, there are much harder things I have done in the past."

The monk looked at me for a minute, trying to figure out if I was lying, until he lowered his staff and relaxed. "Very impressive; I've never known anyone who could climb that waterfall that wasn't a monk. The logs and other traps are all enchanted with spiritual energy, so a monk has to be able to detect the traps and act fast enough in order to avoid getting knocked off the rope." He stuck out his hand. "My name is Monku. I am the head monk of this temple." I shook his hand. "Deiru. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine. Come in and grab yourself a cloth to dry off. Then we'll talk about what you're needing help with." Monku said, before walking off. I went into the temple and saw a group of about a dozen monks sitting in meditation. I could feel their spiritual power, and every one of them was exceptionally powerful. Without making a sound I walked by, trying to find the bathing room. Eventually I did, and dried myself off with a large cloth. I neatly folded the cloth and put it to the side, then redressed and made my way back to the front of the temple.

I was walking down a hallway when a monk came around a corner and I bumped into him, and the Shikon Jewel shard slipped out of my pocket. I looked up and saw that it was Monku. "Oh! My apologies, Deiru," he said. "It's not a problem, Monku. I was just done drying myself off, and was about to come see you." Monku smiled and was about to turn and have me follow him when he said "I think you dropped something." H bent over to pick it up when I realized it was the Jewel shard. I hadn't even realized I had dropped it.

I hurriedly bent over and snatched it, but not before Monku got a look at it. His eyes widened. "That wouldn't happen to be a-" "Hush, hush!" I interrupted, clasping a hand over his mouth. The rest of his words came out muffled and I removed my hand. "We can't talk here. Can we possibly speak somewhere more private?" He appeared confused for a second, before nodding in agreement. "Come with me. I know a place."

xxx

We stopped in front of a door, which Monku slid to the side, revealing a small and rather bare bedroom. "These are my chambers. No one will disturb us here," he said confidently. I nodded my thanks, and sat down on the floor. Monku sat opposite of me and said "Now will you tell me what this is about? That was a shard of the Shikon jewel that fell out of your pocket, wasn't it?" I nodded my head and pulled it out. "So that is what the infamous shards look like. But I can feel the aura of a demon emanating from it. Why?"

"Well you see, I had just slain a demon a short time ago, and when I killed it a pulled this shard from its chest. I need to be able to use its powers, but with the demonic taint it has now it would be useless to me. I was hoping that you or one of the other monks could exorcise the aura from the Jewel," I explained. He raised his eyebrows. "I could certainly purify the shard, but before I do I must ask you: why do you need it?" "I am looking for someone, as woman who possesses the power to heal someone I know that's dying. If I can use the shard, I'll be able to find the woman much more quickly."

The monk studied me for a moment, before nodding and said "I'll do it. Wait here for an hour while I perform the exorcism." He grabbed the shard and walked off into the adjacent room. I sat against the wall and waited while he began chanting, but I must have dozed off because before I knew it I had yet another vision.

xxx

I don't know how long I stayed there, but the girls and I conversed, and I learned a lot about Kikyo. She was the priestess who guarded the Jewel fifty years ago, and was brought back from the land of the dead by the demon Urasue, who did it using her clay mixed with her ashes and soil from her gravesite. Now she wanders the earth, waiting for the demon Naraku to gather all the shards of the Shikon Jewel so she can destroy them both at the same time. In her past life Kikyo had fallen in love with a half-demon by the name of Inuyasha, and it was Naraku that had set them against each other.

For some reason, when I heard how Kikyo had fallen in love with this Inuyasha, I felt slightly upset. Not knowing why, I put it at the back of my mind and asked "This Inuyasha, he wouldn't happen to be the half-demon that Kagome travels with would he?" The two girls looked faintly surprised, before answering "Yes, you are correct. Both Kikyo and Inuyasha hated each other when Kikyo died fifty years ago, but Inuyasha has never forgotten her." "And Kikyo? Does she still love Inuyasha?" I asked. The girls looked at each other for a moment, before answering "To be honest, that is something that only Kikyo herself would be able to answer."

We spoke a little while longer, and I was just about to ask for more information on this Naraku when I felt someone shaking me. I looked around confused and I heard a voice saying "Deiru. Wake up." The girls looked at me. "Someone needs you in the place where you are. Hurry; you must wake and find Kagome." I nodded and allowed myself to be woken up. A darkness fell over my eyes, and when I opened them I was looking up into Monku's face.

I shook myself and stood up, and he handed me the shard of the Shikon Jewel. "Here, the demonic aura has been completely exorcised. It is safe for you to use now." I blinked in surprise, but accepted it and bowed in respect. "Thank you for your services. How may I repay you?" Monku waved this aside. "I require no payment; think of it as a reward for being able to climb that waterfall. Just... do me one thing." "And what might that be?" I asked. "That friend of yours, who is dying, help her will you? I'd feel much better if that shard of the Jewel was being put to good use."

"You don't need to worry about that. Thank you again, I'll expect to see you soon." Monku waved his farewell as I walked out. "Good luck, and fare well in your search friend." I waved goodbye and walked out of the temple. Once I was by the waterfall I pulled out the shard of the Jewel. True to Monku's word, I could no longer feel any demonic aura coming from the Jewel. I tapped into its power, and instantly I could feel I flooding me, the power coursing through each and every one of my veins. I activated my powers. My mind expanded outwards, farther than it ever had before, until I could feel the minds of every person for a hundred miles around me.

I smiled. With the power of the Shikon Jewel, I just might have a chance of finding Kagome and saving Kikyo's life.

xxx

Well, there's chapter five for all of you. Read and review!

VOGoshinki, thanks for the compliment. I hope you enjoyed this.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch.6 Mountains, Memories, and Birds for Enemies

I walked onward, as I had been for the past six hours. Out of the past two days all the sleep I have had was when I dozed off in Monku's temple. I should have been exhausted by then, but with the power of the Shikon Jewel I was far from it. The sun had risen hours ago and I could still feel the Jewel's power, humming in veins as it flowed through me. I was still nervous though, and getting increasingly so; the second day had begun. And that meant I had it and one more day left before the miasma completely consumed Kikyo's body and killed her.

I continued walking, sending my mind further and further outwards. With my power amplified I had covered over five hundred miles already, approximately a third of Japan in a single night. Yet I still had not found the girl Kagome. I was nearing the northern mountains now, and suddenly the wind picked up and changed direction. I tensed and began to walk more cautiously. I had a bad history with these mountains. Thirty years ago I had fought a clan of demons here known as the Birds of Paradise. I had just about exterminated the entire clan when a number of them had escaped.

But the real reason I avoided these mountains was because of the memories I had from this place; memories far darker, far more horrible than any Bird of Paradise. One hundred and thirteen years ago, I fought a demon here by the name of Tenbatsu. I had been just a human back then, one who had sworn to a life of destroying demons. Our battle had lasted five days and five nights, and on the sixth morning I had him on the ground at the point of my sword. That was when Tenbatsu called upon the last of his power, and gave me my curse. I remember his exact words.

"_For as long as you shall live, one side of you shall be consumed by darkness. One half of your soul shall be the soul of that which you have sworn to defeat, a demon. And that have will always live inside you, for it will be your own demonic aura that sustains your life. You shall always bear my curse, from now until the end of time._" I shook my head, trying to get rid of the bad memories. But alas, I did not succeed. Without even thinking, I reached up and gently touched the patch that covered my right eye. Ever since that day, I had the soul of a half-demon, and was cursed to live that way until the end of time. And at every auspicious part of the year, such the solstices and the spring and fall equinoxes….

The wind picked up and changed again, giving me a much-desired reason to let go of the worst of my memories. I continued forward, determined to see if the girl Kagome might for some reason be in the mountains. I could feel the demonic auras in the mountains, and I could smell them as well. These scents and auras belonged to the Wolf-Demon tribe. I had never encountered their kind, but from what I heard the Wolf-Demons guarded their territories viciously, and their leader possessed two Sacred Jewel shards. I didn't need to travel very far though, just far enough into the mountains that I could tell whether or not Kagome was here.

However, I had just made it about a ten minutes walk into the mountains when I felt the demonic aura of a Wolf-Demon approach me. And fast. The thought just passed through my head when a small tornado appeared in front of me. When it cleared a young Wolf-Demon stood before me. He had long black hair pulled back in a ponytail that reached the small of his back, was dressed in armor and brown furs, and had a sword at his waist. But what drew my attention was the power I could feel radiating from his lower body. I looked down and could see them. A Sacred Jewel shard in each of his legs.

"So you're the Wolf-Demon tribe's leader," I looked up at him. "A little younger than I would have thought, but it makes no difference." The Wolf-Demon growled and asked "Who are you? What are you doing here in our territory?" "I am here looking for someone. Have you by any chance seen a human around here? She has the spiritual powers of a priestess, and is dressed in odd clothing," I explained. His eyebrows shot up as his eyes grew wide, but then his expression changed to one of anger. "How in the hell do you know Kagome?!" My eyes shot wide as well. "You know her?" I asked.

He crossed his arms and looked at me. "Of course I do! She's my mate after all." I blinked. Mate? Oookaay. I stood for a moment, deciding what I should and shouldn't tell this young Wolf-Demon, before explaining. "Well, there is someone, a friend of mine, who is in dire health and requires the power of a priestess to heal her. And only this Kagome has the power to save her." He looked at me for a moment, before deciding that I was telling the truth. "Well, she's not here, in these mountains." He huffed a breath and muttered "Probably with that mutt Inuyasha."

I decided it would be wiser not ask about that last part and said "Well, thank you for telling me. I'll be going now." He didn't look at me as I left. He was probably too wrapped up in thinking about Kagome and this Inuyasha. _I sense a triangle_, I thought. I left the mountains and stopped. I had covered the entire northern part of Japan by now, so the only course of action is to move south. I turned in that direction and started that way, once again sending my senses outwards.

xxx

The sun was nearing its set, and to me that meant I had just about one day left to find the Kagome. I stopped walking in the middle of a field when I felt something strange in some of the minds I had detected. It wasn't the girl Kagome, but rather it was the minds of demons. Ones that were heading towards a village, and I could sense the demons' intentions. They were planning to attack. Instantly I turned in that direction I began running, my feet taking me as fast as I could mange. The village was a few miles away, and if I ran fast enough I could make it there just before the demons.

I ran for about a few hours, until at last I reached the village, however I was just a little too late. The attack had begun. The demons consisted of hundreds and hundreds of pale blue demonic birds. I could already hear the screams of villagers, and saw as the birds drained them of their blood. Without wasting any time I drew my sword, continued running and called out at the top of my lungs "Hey feather-brains! Over here!" A number of them, about fifty in all, heard me and changed course to come flying down in my direction. Instantly I stopped running and moved to a fighting stance, calling for my demon powers to rise to the surface.

Just as the birds were halfway to me I pointed my sword at them. An orb of electricity formed at the end, crackling and sizzling with energy. It shot forward, and as it reached the center it exploded in a fish of light and heat. About a dozen of them fell to the ground instantly, but a number of them still flew towards me. I flung my hand out in their direction and a ball of fire appeared in the palm of my hand. I waited until just before they reached me, and then I threw the ball to the ground in front of them. A blast a fire shot upwards, and the birds that flew through it immediately caught fire, killing about another eight of them.

When they reached me I had just enough time to think, _twenty down, thirty to go_, before they reached me. I withdrew my mind until it was just a small distance around me that I detected. One of the birds dived in at me, and I responded with a slash to its beak that sent it back into the air. Another tried to peck at me, but I jabbed at it and it flew back as well. Deciding to put some room between me and the demons I turned my sword over and stabbed it into the ground. Demonic energy rippled outwards until about five feet away from me a ring appeared on the ground, before exploding and a wall of energy rose up, blocking the birds from getting close to me.

The birds screeched and cawed, clawing at the barrier I had erected. I smiled and planted my sword in the ground as a ball of fire appeared in each of my hands. By this time a lot more of the birds had noticed my presence and surrounded me. For about the next half-hour I threw fireball after fireball at the birds, but after a while I saw that the birds that I burned down after a while rose out their own ashes as good as new. The moment I thought this one of the birds already in the air burst into flames and crashed into my barrier. Instead of the flames falling off they stayed on. The other birds followed their comrades' example, and in minutes the entire outside of my barrier was cocooned in flames.

I looked around, trying to think of a way to get rid of the flames when a heard one of the birds screech above me. I looked up and realized I had made a great, and completely foolish, mistake. I had raised my barrier in the shape of a circular tower. A good plan yes, nothing wrong with it, except for one thing. My tower had no roof. Something I was harshly told in the form of a bird demon catching fire and dive-bombing towards me. I pulled my sword out of the ground and tried to block it, but the flames just curled around my blade and shot towards me, setting my kimono aflame in seconds.

My instincts took over, and stopped, dropped to the ground and rolled around in a circle. I managed to bat out the flames, burning my hands lightly in the process, but that moment of distraction caused my barrier to falter and disappear. Then the birds came for me. I fought with my hands and feet, but they came at me from all sides. I could feel them nipping at me, pecking and biting with- were those actually teeth? Birds with teeth. I don't know how long I fought, but eventually my struggles grew weaker, until at last I could move no more.

The birds began to bite into me, and I could feel my blood being drained out of me. I was about to call upon the Sacred Jewel once more when suddenly one of the birds ripped the pocket of my hakama and pulled the Jewel shard out. I tried to stop them, but the loss of blood left me unable to move my limbs. I vision started to blur and I began to lose consciousness, when I saw what appeared to be a giant boomerang cut through all the bird demons around me, and a figure in red wielding a large sword cut through the ones that had escaped. These things would have surprised me, if I hadn't been on the border of barely staying awake. I felt myself being lifted and hefted over someone's shoulder and I heard them call "This one's still alive! Sango, Shippo, come help me!" Sango? Shippo? Neither of these names was familiar to me, but by the time these thoughts entered my mind, my body gave out and the world went black.

xxx

Hope you all enjoyed this. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch.7 Found

When I awoke I was lying in a bed with a blanket over my chest. I groaned and tried to move, only to feel my wounds scream and I gasped in pain. Someone had bandaged them and applied various herbs for healing, but they still hurt. I could feel sunlight streaming through a window, and realized that it was the third day; the last one I had left to find Kikyo. I was about to open my eyes when I heard a male voice say "So, you're awake. Good." My eyes snapped open and tried to move my head, only for the bites on my neck to flare in agony. I stopped moving my head and instead looked up at the ceiling. "Who are you? Are you the one that healed me?"

Whoever the man was, he chuckled and said "I go by the name of Miroku. And in response to your other question, I wasn't the one who really healed you." "Then who did?" I asked. It was then that another voice, this one female, answered "It was me." I almost turned my head again but just in time I remembered my neck and stopped. "Well, you have my thanks, milady." She laughed a little and said "My name is Sango. And what is yours?" "Deiru. Just Deiru," I replied. The man, Miroku, said "Well Deiru, it's nice to meet you. However, if I may ask, why were you being attacked by the bird demons? A small number of the villagers survived, but that was because they were all focused on you."

I was about to answer when I heard another male voice outside yell. "And why the hell are we helping another random _human_?! We should be looking for the Sacred Jewel shard!" he yelled. Another female voice replied "Because it's the right thing to do!" A child's voice added "Yeah! Why can't you just help for once?" The male growled, the sound oddly like that of a dog, before saying "Fine! But first I'm going to ask him where he got that Jewel shard! There are only a few of them left, and I want to know how he got a hold of one!"

The female voice responded, sounding a lot more irritated, and I mainly tuned the argument out after that. I had a feeling that argument was going to downhill at a very fast pace. I sensed the man Miroku looking at me and asked "Err, if you don't mind me asking, exactly how did you come by that Jewel shard of yours?" I sighed and explained how I had defeated the demon attacking that village, and acquired the shard of the Shikon Jewel in the process. By the time I was done the other two people that had been arguing had quieted, somewhat, and had come back in. "Congratulations. Not many people can slay a demon that powerful on their own."

I smiled at the compliment and said "Well, I am not just any normal human." I quickly decided to open up my senses, and I felt the power resonating from each of the people in this room. Miroku had the spiritual powers of a monk, but there was a strange concentration of demonic power around his right hand. The woman Sango had no unusual powers of her own, but I could sense that she had a great deal of physical strength, even more than I did. The other woman had an unusually large amount of spiritual powers, the child was a demon, and the other man was a half-demon.

Upon my last comment the other man, the half-demon, came forward and said "So while we're talkin' about that, just who the hell are you?" I was about to reply when the woman with the spiritual powers groaned angrily and said "I told you we're going to wait until he recovers!" The half-demon sneered and replied "And give him the chance to run away? I don't think so!" For a moment there was an angered silence until the woman yelled "Inuyasha, SIT!" At the edges of my vision there was a pink glow and I could feel the half-demon being pulled by something around his neck, and he slammed into the ground.

However, I barely noticed that as I realized what name the other woman had exactly said. There was no way. No possible way. But I had to ask and said slowly "Inu…yasha?" The monk Miroku chuckled lightly and said "Oh, I had almost forgotten. These three are Shippo, Inuyasha, and Kagome." On the last name my eyes widened and I shot bolt upright in my bed, my injuries momentarily forgotten. I turned to looked at the woman and saw it. The strange clothes, the long black hair, the physical resemblance to Kikyo. My vision flashed, and suddenly I remembered.

xxx

_The sounds of feet were walking my way, but rather than towards me, I sensed they were heading towards the hot spring. Still, I decided not to take chances, and slowly and silently stood and followed. When I arrived just by the edge of the hot spring I peered over the edge of my shoulder and the bushes, to see two young women about to undress. Instantly I whipped by head back around, a flush forming on my face for the first time in decades. I did not move from the spot for fear of being found out, but I did hear one of the women sigh in relaxation and say "Ohh, this greeaat. What do you think Sango?" The other woman, apparently Sango, replied "It feels nice Kagome. It's been awhile since we've relaxed like this. Huh, so the two women were named Sango and Kagome. Good to know in case I was found._

This event replayed itself in my mind and I thought two things. One was "_How could I have been so stupid?" _and the other was "_Finally, I finally found her._" I stood up and it was then that my body reminded me that it was injured. I yelped in excruciating pain. My entire body burned, but I still tried to walk to Kagome. Inuyasha stood in front of her said "What the hell is wrong?" Miroku and Sango tried to pull me back. I managed to say "Kagome… I need you… help… Kikyo…" Everyone around me, even the child Shippo, gasped, but I didn't hear it. My eyes rolled back into my head and for the second times in as many days, my world went black.

xxx

What might have been a few hours later I awoke. I moved a little, and I could feel pain lance through me again, only this time on a lesser scale. I opened my eyes to see that rather than lying down in bed, I was now propped up against the wall. I looked around slowly, until I looked in front of me and my eyes fell onto the girl Kagome. I snapped awake. She was here. Kagome, the girl I had spent three days and nights searching for. She looked at me inquisitively and said "You're awake." I nodded, and it wasn't until that moment that I realized the entirety of the group was in half-circle looking at me.

I nodded, then coughed and said "Err, I apologize for my outburst earlier. No doubt I surprised you a bit." Kagome laughed lightly. "That's an understatement." The half-demon Inuyasha turned and looked at me and said "You've got a lot of questions to answer. For starters, how do you know Kikyo?" I looked at Inuyasha and could see several emotions in his expression. Sadness, grief, and longing, but also hope, and a sheer desperation. "_Of course,_" I thought. "_Inuyasha loves Kikyo, and they all still believe that Naraku killed her._" I straightened a little, cleared my throat and said "You might want to take a seat. This may take a moment."

The others moved closer, and I began. I started by explaining how I had all seen hem that one night at the hot springs, and Miroku interrupted saying "See Sango? I _told_ you it wasn't me." Sango looked at him as if to say "You're still a pervert," while I gave him a look that said it would be wise for him to shut up. I continued on, explaining he first vision I had where I met the two girls that were watching over Kikyo. I revealed to them then what I learned in my second vision. Kikyo hadn't been killed by Naraku on Mt. Hakurei, but he come very nearly close. Now she was lying in the middle of a lake, sleeping while the miasma slowly ate away at her body.

The look of hope on Inuyasha's face brightened when I said that, according to the two girls, Kagome possessed enough spiritual power to purify the miasma, thus saving Kikyo's life. I had been journeying to find her, and that was why I reacted the way I did when the others told me Kagome's name. When I finished, the others were all silent for a moment, nut then I looked at Kagome and said "Kagome, will you do it? Can you please help me save Kikyo?" She looked at me for a moment, and then said "You realize this is a lot to take in. The fact that Kikyo is still _alive_-" "Not for much longer if we don't hurry. This is the last day left before the miasma completely consumes her body. We have no time to waste."

She looked at me, then down at her hands for a moment, before she stood and said "Okay, I'll do it." The others looked and her, and Sango asked "Kagome, are you sure…?" Kagome looked at her and smiled, though it was one of sadness. "Yes, Sango, I'm sure. I'm not going to let Kikyo, anybody, just die." I smiled and stood. "Then we shall go." I walked outside the hut, and saw a large filed before me. I pulled the white lotus flower out of my pocket and held it in my hands. "_It's time,_" I thought. "_Time to save Kikyo._" I threw it up into the air. The flower blazed with a bright white light, and then it split into two orbs that lowered to the ground, manifesting in the form of the two girls from my dreams.

This was the first time I had seen them in the flesh, yet they looked exactly the same as they did in the visions. One was dressed in a tallow Kimono with her hair in a ponytail, the other in a blue kimono with her in coming down the sides, a blue ball of puff on each side. They looked and me and asked "Have you found Kagome?" I nodded happily and said "She's right here," before stepping to the side. Kagome stepped forward nervously. The two girls looked at her for a moment, before looking at me. "So she is. Well done." They each held out a hand. "Come with us, we will take you to Kikyo."

Kagome grasped the hand of the one in blue while I grabbed the hand of the one in yellow. Inuyasha said "I'm coming too," and started forward, but both the girls shook their heads. "We each can take only one person. It is Deiru and Kagome who must come, not you." He looked like he was to protest, but Kagome smiled and said "Inuyasha, its okay." He looked at her, his expression apologetic. "Kagome… thank you." She blinked in surprise, but smiled sadly. I was about to say to myself "It appears as if we have another triangle" but before I had a chance to light enveloped me, Kagome and the girls, and I could feel us rising up and traveling quickly to some destination. I knew where we going.

Kikyo.

xxx

Well, well, Deiru has finally succeeded! Please read and review!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch. 8 Kikyo's Awakening

The group of me, Kagome and the two girls who watched over Kikyo traveled swiftly in the sphere of light. I couldn't see outside, but I could tell we were traveling very far at a very quick pace. Kagome looked at me and asked "Where do you suppose we're going?" I answered simply "Kikyo." I turned to face her. "Are you certain you can heal her?" I asked seriously. She looked uncertain for a moment, before her expression became determined. "I don't know for sure, but I will try." She said confidently.

I was still unsure, but I saw the resolve in her eyes and nodded. If the truth were to be told, I was still unsure myself. Kikyo barely had any time left before the miasma killed her. Would we be able to cure her in time? I stood there, enveloped in my own thoughts and doubts; until I felt the orb we were in stop and begin to lower to the ground. I snapped out my thoughts, thankful for the distraction. The orb stopped and faded, and I looked around me to see the place of my dreams.

There were trees around the edge of the clearing, a mountain could be seen off in the distance, and there was a large lake in the middle of the area. Without thinking, I walked to the edge and looked in. It was faint from this distance, but I could still make out the shape of a body. Kikyo. "You must hurry," one of the girls said. "The sun is about to set, and when it does it will be too late." I looked at them, before I turned to Kagome and said "Let's go." "Right," she replied. She took off her shoes, and I my sandals, and we both dove into the water. For a second we were both unable to breathe, until I willed my powers to emerge and a bubble of air formed over both of our mouths.

We swam deeper, until finally we were at the same depth as Kikyo, and I was able to see her in the flesh for the first time. She was indeed dressed in white kimono and red hakama of a priestess, and the white seemed to glow against her ivory skin. Her hair was ebony black, and while it only reached her eyebrows in the front, in the back it went down to her waist and was tied with a hair band. Her expression was even more pained than it was before, but beyond that she was beautiful. The moment I thought this, I tried to slap myself, but the water took enough force out of the blow that it had little effect. This. Was. Not. The. Time. For. That.

I heard the girls' voice in my head, and I could see Kagome heard it too. "_The miasma can be drawn from her shoulder. Remove her kimono and place your hand on her shoulder, Kagome._" She did so, and I could see that her shoulder was cracked, fissures running along it like in broken glass. Kagome placed her hand on it and asked "Now what do I do?" "_Now you must use your spiritual power, and purify the miasma. Hurry; there is little time,_" they replied. Kagome nodded, and I could _feel_ her spiritual powers emerging; an amount so large I was surprised one person could possess it all.

I stretched my senses outwards, and I could feel not only Kagome's spiritual powers, but I could sense that Kikyo had the same amount as well, if not them more. Also, I could feel the miasma. It was like sulfur from a volcano, so tainted and impure that if someone breathed it in it would be toxic. The miasma itself possessed such toxicity that I was surprised it hadn't killed Kikyo already. _And she fell into a whole river full of this_, I thought. _But then again, her body was made from ashes, bones, clay and gravesite soil. Her body isn't the same as a normal human's. _

Shaking these thoughts, I returned to the task at hand to see Kagome's hand glow I bright pink and the first and Naraku's miasma left her body through the crack in her shoulder. It spilled out and filled the water like black ink, before it was purified by Kagome's power and faded out of existence. "Keep going," I encouraged. "It's begun to leave." "Got it," she said, and began to pour more power into purifying the miasma. More of it rose out, only to fade into existence shortly after.

Over an hour passed in this fashion, and as it went by I looked up to see the sun steadily approaching the horizon. I continued to stay by Kikyo and Kagome, coaching Kagome on whenever he powers seemed to falter. However, despite that, as time went by I began to lose hope. Kagome kept pouring and pouring her power into purifying the miasma, and it just kept coming. _There's just so much of it_, I thought. It at the moment I said this that the girls spoke to us again after an hour of silence. "_There isn't enough time, the sun had almost set. You must go faster if you are to heal her in time._"

Kagome looked up at them, and I could actually see rings around the edges of her eyes. "I'm giving it everything I have," she said wearily. "I don't have anything left." There was silence, and then I heard the girls sigh. "_Then we are already too late._" I looked at them, eyes wide No, there was no way I was going to let that happen. After all that time, after all that searching, after all the effort Kagome put, I was not going to let in all be in vain. "Please," I asked the girls. "There has to be something we can do. Some way that we can save her."

Again there was silence, but then the girls spoke, and I could tell they were reluctant to say whatever it was they were about to tell me. "_There is… one way._" I looked up at the surface, where they were. "How? How do we do it?" I asked. I could feel them turn their eyes to look directly at me, and then they said one word. "_You._" I blinked for a moment, and then I said "I beg your pardon?" "_The curse that grants you your demonic powers also makes you immortal, correct?_" they asked. I nodded, still unsure of what they were saying.

"_If that is true, then it also protects you from any and all poisons, even a toxic miasma._" My breath caught in my throat, realizing what they were saying. "_You can draw the miasma from Kikyo's body, which can be done at a much faster pace than purifying it._" I paused, even Kagome stopped in shock, realizing what they had just said. I turned in the water to look at Kikyo. I had never, not once in all my over a hundred years, done anything like this. True, my curse protected me from any and all poisons, but would it do the same if I drew that poison into my body of my own accord? Also, there was so much of the miasma that my curse might not protect me at all resulting in my death.

Was I willing to risk that? Was I willing to risk my own life in order to save another? I thought about this for a moment, until I looked at the pain written on Kikyo's face and came to my decision. In her previous life, Kikyo had selflessly risked her life for the lives of others countless times, regardless of the consequences. She had battled famine, disease, and even now waited until Naraku had gathered all the Shards of the Shikon Jewel so that she could cast both of them to the depths of Hell. And here I was, debating whether or not to do the same for her. She had risked her life before, now it was my turn. Yes, I would do it.

"Please move Kagome," I said. She nodded silently and moved out of the way. I reached out and placed my own hand on her shoulder. The skin felt cold to the touch, and I could feel the miasma underneath, brewing around like a chaotic maelstrom. I reached out with my powers, took a hold of a part of the miasma, and began to draw it into myself. Instantly I screamed in pain, feeling the miasma travel through my fingers. It was like very inch my skin, every single nerve ending in my hand, was being burned with a white-hot flame. The pain was so great I nearly removed my hand, but then I saw Kikyo's face still in pain, and resolved to continue.

I could feel the miasma itself now brewing beneath my skin just as it did underneath Kikyo's. I pull harder, and I could feel the miasma had now reached past my fingers to my wrist. Also, through the pain I could feel that the miasma that was in Kikyo's hand had been completely drained. "_That's it. However, you must go faster if you are to succeed._" Not even bothering to argue, I reached further in, pulled the miasma out at an even faster pace. Instantly the miasma surged upward from just y wrist all the way to my elbow. My eye bulged in pain; my arm felt as if it was encased in molten lead. And still the miasma poured from Kikyo into me, like floodwater from a broken dam.

xxx

I had almost completely absorbed the miasma from Kikyo's body into my own, and the sun had almost completely set. The miasma had left every single part of her body, with the exception of her left arm and shoulder, the parts closest to me. I could feel my entire body burning from the poisonous toxicity, but from the looks of things the girls had been right. I could feel the miasma within me, sense the deadly power it possessed, and yet I was unaffected by it. While my curse was still the bane of my existence, it was indeed protecting me from the miasma.

It was then that I heard the girls one more time, and this time their voices were tinged with desperation. "_There are minutes left before nightfall. You must absorb the last of the miasma, now!_" I looked up at them as if they were crazy, but I saw that it was indeed just about nightfall. I looked down at Kikyo, and forced my powers to encompass the entire miasma in her arm in shoulder, and drew it in all at once. At that moment the pain suddenly went from unbearable to unimaginable. For the merest second my entire sanity broke, but then I could feel the entire miasma rush into my right hand, and it actually did burn, leaving a burn mark in the shape of a spider on the back of my hand, before it faded and the pain disappeared.

"You did it!" Kagome called. I nodded, suddenly exhausted, but then I saw Kikyo fidget and move slightly. Instantly she became the entire focus of my attention, as slowly her eyelids lifted, revealing eyes brown as chocolate.

Kikyo had awoken.

xxx

Finally, Kikyo is awake, and Deiru had succeeded in his goal! Please read and review!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to its respective owners.

Ch. 9 A Challenge

For a moment, everything was still. Kagome, Kikyo and I floated in the water as the last rays of sun disappeared over the horizon. Kikyo looked at us, her face devoid of any emotion, until her eyes widened and she clutched her throat. My eye widened in horror. "_Kagome and I have a bubble to supply us with air, but Kikyo doesn't and I don't have the power to make another! I have to get her above water quickly!_" I thought. Grasping her hand, I kicked my feet as hard as I could and sped to the surface, Kagome trailing behind.

Our heads broke the surface, and I pulled Kikyo out of the water onto the ground beside the lake. For a minute she was on her hands and knees, gasping and choking up water. Then she stopped, took a deep breath and stood up. "Are you alright?" Kagome asked. "I'm fine now. The miasma consuming me has completely left my body," Kikyo said. It hit me that that was the first I ever heard her voice. I sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." Kikyo turned to look at me, and I felt as though those brown eyes could see through to my half-demon soul. "I must offer my apologies. I do not know your name."

I straightened and bowed respectfully. "Deiru Tamashi honored to make your acquaintance." Kikyo chuckled slightly at the gesture and asked "So, are you the one that destroyed the miasma within me?" I nodded and smiled. "The two girls contacted me and told me to find Kagome, who could purify the miasma. However, there wasn't enough time once I did, and I was forced to remove the miasma myself." Kikyo's eyebrows rose, and she turned to the two girls who had been watching the entire exchange. "Is that true, my Shikigami?"

"Yes, we spoke to him in a dream, and told him to find Kagome," the one in yellow said. "But why him?" Kikyo asked. The two girls looked at each other, and then they looked rather sheepish. "Well… he has power to read my minds, so he would be able to find her quickly," the one in yellow said. "And he was the closest person in a respectable distance. Inuyasha and the others had already left the vicinity of Mt. Hakurei," the one in blue added. "So you chose the closest person that was nearby, and hoped that he would just find Kagome?" Kikyo asked.

The two girls looked down. "Well, to be honest, we were becoming rather desperate," they said. Kikyo looked at them for a moment, before sighing, turning and smiled at me. "Well, in either case, you have my thanks," she said. For some reason, I felt my face heat up. Honestly, what in the name of heaven was up with me? "It-It was no trouble. No trouble at all." Kikyo nodded, and then she turned to her Shikigami. "Come, we shall go now."

She turned to walk away, her Shikigami and her Soul Collectors trailing behind, when I said "Wait." They stopped and turned back to look at me. Before I had a moment to think, out of my mouth came "Let me go with you." They all blinked in surprise; even Kagome looked at me. "I beg your pardon?" Kikyo asked. It hit me about what I just said. Why had I said that? Some part of me had asked that, so I decided to go with that part and said "I… wish to travel with you, if it's not… too much trouble."

Kikyo looked at me for a second, before asking one simple question. "Why?" I paused, and thought about that for a second for a moment. "Because… I wish to look after you. I spent three days with little rest looking throughout Japan for Kagome, hoping that she would be able to heal you. I don't desire to see injured again." Kikyo chuckled slightly. "I'm flattered. However, I must decline. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. I thank you for the offer, though."

She was about to turn back around, when the girl in the blue kimono stepped forward. Kikyo looked down at her. "Yes?" "Kikyo, if I may, I would like to say that… his traveling with us might be a good idea." Her eyes widened in surprise. "And why might that be?" The girl looked back at me. "Because his powers might be of use to us. He has the ability to read minds, which could help us in finding Naraku. Also he has demonic strength of his own, which could help if any demons of any real danger appear. And having another person around might help anyway."

Kikyo's eyes widened. Mine did too, and I thought about what the girl had just said. True enough, my ability to read minds would be helpful in finding Naraku, which I know Kikyo would be doing now that only one Shard of the Shikon Jewel remained. Also, my other demonic powers would be of assistance, and another person would be safer anyway. A sword and a bow would be better than just a bow. I could almost see Kikyo thinking about this, until the girl in yellow stepped forward and said "Kikyo, I have an idea to determine if he may travel with us."

"Is that so? Tell me," Kikyo said. She kneeled down, and the girl whispered something in her ear. I wondered what they were talking about until Kikyo smiled, nodded, and stood up. "Very well then." She turned to me. "You do wish to travel with me, yes?" I nodded. "Then you will need to prove that you are strong enough." I looked at her in confusion, until she explained. "My Shikigami have been sensing a demon in the lands southwest of here. This demon possesses formidable power, and would be difficult to defeat.

"If you can defeat this demon, then we'll walk together as traveling companions." Kikyo paused to let this sink in. "Do you accept?" she asked. I thought about this for a moment, until I nodded as well. "Alright, I accept your challenge," I said. Kikyo smiled. "Alright then, let's go," she said. She turned back around and walked forward, her Shikigami and Soul Collectors behind. I was about to follow when I heard Kagome say "Hey, what about me?" We looked back at her, and Kikyo laughed slightly. She looked at her Shikigami. "Could you send Kagome back to Inuyasha and the others?" They nodded and walked to Kagome to take her back. I looked at the two girls as they passed and said "Thank you." They nodded, but didn't say anything. Nothing needed to be said.

I will defeat the demon Kikyo has challenged me to defeat, and walk beside her as she traveled throughout the land.

xxx

Here we go, sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but I promise that the next one will be longer.

VOGoshinki, thank you for the ideas. I hope you enjoyed this!

Please review!


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